Career and Education Opportunities for Police Officers in Rochester, Minnesota

For those living in the Rochester, Minnesota area, there are many career and education opportunities for police officers. There are currently 1,240 jobs for police officers in Minnesota and this is projected to grow 18% to about 1,460 jobs by 2016. This is better than the nation as a whole, where employment opportunities for police officers are expected to grow by about 16.6%. Police officers generally conduct investigations to prevent crimes or solve criminal cases.

Income for police officers is about $30 per hour or $63,640 per year on average in Minnesota. Nationally, their income is about $29 per hour or $60,910 per year. Incomes for police officers are better than in the overall category of Police and Security in Minnesota, and better than the overall Police and Security category nationally. People working as police officers can fill a number of jobs, such as: criminal investigations division investigator, agent, and deputy sheriff.

The Rochester area is home to seven schools of higher education, including two within twenty-five miles of Rochester where you can get a degree as a police officer. Given that the most common education level for police officers is a high school diploma or GED, you can expect to spend only a short time training to become a police officer if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Police Officer

Police officers furnish testimony as a witness in court. They also examine records and governmental agency files to discover identifying data about suspects. Equally important, police officers have to participate or help in raids and arrests. They are often called upon to record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants. They are expected to obtain evidence from suspects. Finally, police officers furnish data to lab staff concerning the source of an item of evidence and tests to be performed.

Every day, police officers are expected to be able to evaluate problems as they arise. They need to articulate ideas and problems. It is also important that they think through problems and come up with general rules.

It is important for police officers to obtain summary of incident from officer in charge at crime scene, taking care to avoid disturbing evidence. They are often called upon to examine crime scenes to obtain clues and evidence, such as loose hairs or weapons. They also organize scene search, assigning specific tasks and areas of search to individual officers and obtaining adequate lighting as needed. They are sometimes expected to secure persons at scene, keeping witnesses from conversing or leaving the scene before investigators arrive. Somewhat less frequently, police officers are also expected to secure deceased body and obtain evidence from it, preventing bystanders from tampering with it before medical examiner's arrival.

Police officers sometimes are asked to summon medical help for injured individuals and alert medical staff to take statements from them. They also have to be able to check victims for signs of life And finally, they sometimes have to analyze completed police reports to establish what additional data and investigative work is needed.

Like many other jobs, police officers must have exceptional integrity and be able to deal with stress and deal with situations calmly.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Rochester include:

Chief of Police. Supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.

Correctional Officer. Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institution in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.

Criminal Investigator. Investigate alleged or suspected criminal violations of Federal, state, or local laws to determine if evidence is sufficient to recommend prosecution.

Customs Inspector. Investigate and inspect persons, common carriers, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the United States or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations.

Police Records Officer. Collect evidence at crime scenes, classify and identify fingerprints, and photograph evidence for use in criminal and civil cases.

Private Investigator. Detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment, or seek, examine, and compile information for client.

Sheriff. Enforce law and order in rural or unincorporated districts or serve legal processes of courts. May patrol courthouse, guard court or grand jury, or escort defendants.

Transportation Security Officer. Inspect baggage or cargo and screen passengers to detect and prevent potentially dangerous objects from being transported into secure areas or onto aircraft.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Police Officer Training

Rochester Community and Technical College - Rochester, MN

Rochester Community and Technical College, 851 30th Ave SE, Rochester, MN 55904-4999. Rochester Community and Technical College is a medium sized college located in Rochester, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 5,977 students. Rochester Community and Technical College has a less than one year and an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated two and one students respectively in 2008.

Riverland Community College - Austin, MN

Riverland Community College, 1900 8th Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912-1473. Riverland Community College is a small college located in Austin, Minnesota. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 3,068 students. Riverland Community College has an associate's degree program in Criminal Justice/Police Science which graduated twenty students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Medical Investigator:
The spectrum of professions involved in forensic investigation has broadened dramatically over the past 20 years.

Certified Corrections Manager - Security Threat Groups:
Individuals who head a Security Threat Group (STG) program in an adult or juvenile corrections facility, contribute to the development of agency policies/procedures pertaining to STGs, and are involved in the implementation of these policies/procedures.

Computer Forensics:
The primary goals we have for our certification programs are to both assist law enforcement and organizations requiring highly skilled investigators in the identification of highly skilled individuals, and to promote the training and education efforts within the computer investigation, computer forensic and computer security industries.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester, Minnesota photo by Jonathunder

Rochester is located in Olmsted County, Minnesota. It has a population of over 100,413, which has grown by 17.0% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Rochester, 79, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Rochester are priced at $233,700 on average, which is below the state average. In 2008, two hundred eighty-seven new homes were constructed in Rochester, down from four hundred twenty the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Rochester are health care, educational services, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is health care, computer and electronic products, and construction. The average commute to work is about 15 minutes. More than 38.1% of Rochester residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 15.5%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Rochester is 5.8%, which is less than Minnesota's average of 7.0%.

The percentage of Rochester residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 61.7%, is more than both the national and state average. Faith Family Church, Faith Harbor Church and Saint Francis Catholic Church are all churches located in Rochester. The most common religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church.

Rochester is home to the Soldiers Field Golf Course and the Guggenheim Building as well as Mohn Park and Manor Park. Shopping centers in the area include Apache Mall, Miracle Mile Shopping Center and Crossroads Shopping Center. Visitors to Rochester can choose from Best Western, Maria's and Econo Lodge Downtown for temporary stays in the area.